With the year more than halfway over, I have a question for you—how are your 2019 resolutions going? I hope you’re sticking with them, but understand how often life can trip us up, causing us to swerve off course from our goals. We’ve prepared the perfect list of tips and tricks to eat better in a time crunch. You can still pull off balanced meals to meet your health goals—even on the busiest days—with our simple shortcuts, tips and step-savers.

Smarter Shopping

Plan your week by selecting quick meals to fit your health and wellness goals. You can mix and match your family’s favorites so putting together the day’s meals is a breeze.

Frozen Food

• Microwavable frozen vegetables, rice, cauliflower rice and veggie noodles are great options for quick sides.
• Our Publix Aprons Simple Meals offer quick recipes that call for frozen ingredients, such as Pork Chili Rancho, which features frozen riced cauliflower and diced vegetables, or Lentil Burger with Cool Avocado Salsa, which uses frozen veggies.
• Fruit smoothies are a quick and easy on-the-go breakfast your whole family will love. Try our Peach-Mango Protein Smoothies or Berry Peanut Butter Protein Smoothies.

Grocery

• One of my favorite quick and easy sides is pre-packaged, microwavable quinoa and brown rice blends. I love using them as a side, but they can also be used in our Cowboy Chicken and Rice.
• Canned beans are a perfect option when you’re making soups, stews, salads and casseroles. For low sodium options, look for our Better Choice shelf tags (or rinse beans before use). An easy yet unique twist for taco Tuesday is our Smoked Paprika Fish Tacos with Black Bean-Pineapple Salsa.

Produce

• Pre-diced vegetables, such as onions, tomatoes and trinity mix, are an easy way to spend less time in the kitchen.
• Give our ready-to-cook vegetable blends (bake or microwave in bag) a try! They’re a convenient go-to side.
• Spiralized vegetables are delicious carb substitutes. There are options such as carrots, zucchini and beets. Some simple recipes include our Lentil Bolognese over Zoodles and Grilled Fish with Skinny Grains and Tangled Beet Salad.
• Don’t forget about the pre-cut fruit! The easiest option, requiring no work from you, for enjoying your sweet treats on-the-go.

Meat

• Ready-to-grill kabobs (sirloin or top round steak, pork loin, turkey breast or chicken) or marinated meats (choose those with less saturated fat and sodium) are great protein sources for staying on track with your plans.
• Use fully cooked chicken sausage to save time in these recipes: Chicken Bolognese over Pasta or Chicken Sausage-Pomodoro Sauté with Parmesan Quinoa.

Seafood

• Publix offers a variety of fresh and frozen seafood, from shrimp, scallops and clams to salmon, tuna and halibut. Fish is one of the fastest proteins to cook.
• Our Pan-Roasted Fish with Rice and Cilantro-Edamame Pesto includes several time-savers: shelled edamame, precooked quinoa and rice, prechopped garlic, lightly dried cilantro and bottled lime juice.

Deli

• For lunch, our Publix subs are a great option when you’re out and about during your busy work week. Add lean meats and pile high with veggies! For the little ones, check out some of the Kids Bento Box.
• Our oven-roasted deli chicken is as tasty as it is versatile.

For five fast and smart ideas, check below.

One last recommendation to try is grocery delivery or pickup from Publix, powered by Instacart. With the time saved, it helps to make better choices even easier! Choosing how you eat is uniquely personal. It’s about your needs, your preferences and your goals. I hope these fresh ideas, recipes and wellness icons make it easier to shift toward wiser food choices to get you back on track and have a successful remainder of the year!